Film Clips

Posted
Friday, April 26, 2013 9:33 am

EVIL DEAD (R). Five twentysomething friends who have gathered in a cabin in the woods to help a friend in need unwittingly unleash unspeakable horrors when they read out loud a mysterious incantation from a strange book they find in the cabin. This remake of Sam Raimi's 1981 cult fave is not a bad movie, just one that doesn't raise (or lower) the bar on gore artistry as Raimi's did decades ago, and it's fair to compare. HH1/2 (Persall, Tampa Bay Times -- 4/6). 1:41.

42 (PG-13). Straightforward and purposeful as a home run trot, this drama tracing Jackie Robinson's color-barrier breaking 1947 season as second baseman for the Brooklyn Dodgers is one of the all-time great sports movies primarily because it's one of the all-time great sports stories. With Chadwick Boseman, Harrison Ford. HHH (Persall, Tampa Bay Times -- 4/12). 2:08.

G.I. JOE: RETALIATION (PG-13). COBRA may have been down for the count in the first "Joe" movie, but they have an impostor in the White House and all manner of evil henchmen and ingenious gadgets to wipe out the G.I. Joes. It's up to team members Roadblock (Dwayne Johnson), Lady Jaye (Adrianne Palicki) and Flint (D.J. Cotrona) -- with maybe an assist from masked marvel Snake Eyes (Ray Park) and the fetching fury Jinx (Elodie Yung) -- to foil the evil masked COBRA commander and his sidekick, Firefly (Ray Stevenson). There is really no place for acting in this live-action version of an ‘80s cartoon that was designed to sell toys. HH (Moore, McClatchy-Tribune News Service-- 3/28). 1:50.

JURASSIC PARK 3D (PG-13). On its 20th anniversary, director Steven Spielberg has remastered his horror classic about genetically engineered prehistoric creatures who run amok in an island theme park designed for them into a polished new 3D version. The 3D is good. But when a movie is this near-flawless, nothing is needed to make it better. With Sam Neill, Jeff Goldblum, Laura Dern, Richard Attenborough. HHH1/2 (Bentley, The Fresno Bee -- 4/6). 2:06.

LORE (NR). The Third Reich has fallen, and in Germany, a Nazi officer and his wife take their children into hiding, and then abandon them as Allied trucks and tanks roll in. Led by Lore (Saskia Rosendahl), a strong-minded teenager, the group -- twin boys, a younger sister, an infant -- must trek clear across their ruined country to their grandmother's house. Fierce and powerful. HHH (Rea, Philadelphia Inquirer -- 4/19). 1:49.

OBLIVION (PG-13). Tom Cruise stars as a repairman fixing machines in the wastelands of Earth after an alien attack. Familiar and generic. With Morgan Freeman. HH (Moore, McClatchy-Tribune News Service -- 4/20). 2:04.

OLYMPUS HAS FALLEN (R). Gerard Butler, his eyebrows in a consternated V, plays a former presidential bodyguard demoted to a desk job after an accident on his watch scarred the First Family. He leaps back into action when a rogue force of North Koreans launch simultaneous air and ground assaults on the White House, which is hosting the South Korean premier. If they presented this character note, or any of the plot points pilfered from "Die Hard" with a knowing wink, this might have been an enjoyably self-referential romp. Unfortunately, they give every evidence of taking it seriously and expecting us to do the same. H (Covert, Minneapolis Star Tribune -- 3/26). 1:58.

OZ THE GREAT AND POWERFUL (PG). Oz isn't a merry old land in Disney's garishly produced barely necessary prequel to one of the most beloved tales of all time. As the future wizard of Oz, a traveling circus charlatan named Oscar Diggs, James Franco shows only traces of charm in a role that requires flamboyance and affable insolence. A fitful fantasy that reminds us that much more amazing things in Oz were yet to come. HH (Persall, Tampa Bay Times -- 3/9). 2:10.

PAIN & GAIN (R). Comedy-action-thriller based on a true story about three Miami body builders who scheme to kidnap, extort and torture a wealthy man who frequents the gym where they work out. Mark Wahlberg, Dwayne Johnson, Anthony Mackie, Tony Shalhoub, Ed Harris, Rob Cordrry.

THE BIG WEDDING (R). Family conflicts come to a brawling head in this comedy about a wedding to end all weddings. With Robert DeNiro, Diane Keaton, Susan Sarandon, Katherine Heigl, Amanda Seyfried, Robin Williams, Topher Grace, Ben Barnes.

THE COMPANY YOU KEEP (R). Robert Redford directed and stars in this present-day drama about a progressive public interest lawyer who is determined to clear his name when a cub reporter exposes him as a ‘60s radical wanted for murder. With Shia LaBeouf, Susan Sarandon, Julie Christie, Nick Nolte, Terrence Howard, Richard Jenkins, Stanley Tucci, Brendan Gleeson, Sam Elliott, Chris Cooper, Brit Marling. Review, D2

THE CROODS (PG). For all the riffs on innovation in this nutty-Neanderthals comedy about a stone-age family trying to adapt to tectonic changes in the world and themselves, the CGI ‘toon ultimately has few original ideas behind its gently sloping forehead. Although "The Croods" has lazy patches throughout, the conclusion is exciting and, lo and behold, surprising. With the voices of Nicolas Cage, Ryan Reynolds, Emma Stone, Catherine Keener, Clark Duke, Cloris Leachman. HH (Daly, Tampa Bay Times -- 3/26).1:38.

THE PLACE BEYOND THE PINES (R). Three overlapping stories that center on the legacies -- voluntary or not -- fathers leave their sons, and the split-second decisions that can shape them. With more than 50 speaking roles, this film could easily have spiraled out of control into a predictable epic. But it holds enough intimacy -- and surprise -- to satisy. With Ryan Gosling, Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, Ray Liotta. HHH (Tillotson, Minneapolis Star Tribune -- 4/13). 2:20.

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